[TopTrainer]

I am missing the passenger side climate control knob on my 300. I've been trying to find a replacement and was told I could not order just the knob, I would have to order the entire control unit.

My question is, shouldn't this be covered under my 3/36 standard warranty? Shouldn't the dealership just replace the until because the knob fell off?

Advice on what I should do?

Another question - I took my car to an alignment shop this morning because the steering wheel is cocked to the right. They put it on the rack then pulled it off and told me they didn't want to take my money, I should take it to the dealership because that should be covered under warranty.

I checked my warranty booklet and it says alignment is only covered for 12/12k. Did the shop just not want to align my car, or were they right, should that be covered under warranty?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

well if the knob is missing, chances are the dealership will file it as "mis-use" or "neglect" that may not be what it is but if you can't find the knob I would bet that is what they say, unless you have a very understanding (aka "cool") dealer...

as for the alignment, IMO the shop probably has no clue how to align the car and unless they are a Chrysler Warranty specialist, they just said that to you to make you leave..

12/12 is the alignment warranty period.. dealer is not going to warranty it past that..

time to find a new shop..
as for the HVAC control, I believe I have a spare knob at home, it's the little one right?

I'll check if I do you are welcome to it. (it's a spare because my original HVAC unit had the lights burn out, and rather than fart around with the dealer I just bought a replacement off ebay for $35) .....


or you can get this one:

eBay Motors: 06-07 Dodge Magnum SRT-8 Dual Zone Heater A/C Controls (item 110273130018 end time Jul-29-08 06:35:12 PDT)

 

[CJ7VFR]

If the knob was on the car when you bought it, and you broke it off, or
you lost it, then no, its not covered under the warranty. Its your fault that
its missing, not theirs. Unless, as MR. I pointed out, you have a cool dealer.

Now, depending on where you bought the car, it might be covered under
the warranty.

If you bought the car from a Chrysler dealership brand new, and the knob
was missing from the start, then yes, they should replace it. But, if this is
the case, I think you would have brought it up to them right away, or they
should have noticed it themselves, and replaced it.

If you bought the car from a used car place, and the knob was missing,
then your out of luck, as you should have said something to the used car
people right on the spot, and had them put down in writing that it was missing
and to have it replaced.

If you bought the car from a private party, and you transfered the warranty
to your name (It costs $150.00 to do this, and you have 30 days to do it,
otherwise you forfeit the warranty) and then the knob fell off, then the
dealership should replace it, as it was defective. But, you will have to PROVE
this, which is an uphill battle since you bought the car from a private person.

If the knob fell off, and you still had it, then you might have a case for a
replacement, because you could show that it was a defective part, and they
should replace it.

But, since you say its missing, I don't think your going to win the warranty
battle for it. It shows that you did the damage, and no dealership is going
to take responsability for damage done by the customer.

If there is still the stalk for the knob left there, and just the knob has broken
off, then you can probably go to a junk yard and get one. Or, search online
Chrysler sales websites for places that sell OEM parts. You should be able to
find one somewhere, instead of having to buy the entire unit.

Good luck. Keep trying, and let us know what happens.

Jim

 

[TopTrainer]

as for the HVAC control, I believe I have a spare knob at home, it's the little one right?

I'll check if I do you are welcome to it.

It is the large one on the passenger side that is missing, the one to dial in where the air is going. ( Dual Zone Auto A/C )

I did purchase the vehicle used from a Chrysler dealership but honestly didn't notice it until a couple days later. I could probably go back there and have them replace it ( I know the owner ), but it is a 50 mile 1 way drive, so is it worth it to put 100 miles on the car, my time, gas, etc. for this knob.

If it was just a warranty issue, there is a Chrysler dealership 3 miles from my house, that's why I ask.

Honestly, I don't know how anyone could rip off the knob considering what is is used for, so it should be a warranty issue anyway for a defective part.

Anywho.... Mr. Incredible, if you do have an extra, I would be very appreciative!

 

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

It is the large one on the passenger side that is missing, the one to dial in where the air is going. ( Dual Zone Auto A/C )

I did purchase the vehicle used from a Chrysler dealership but honestly didn't notice it until a couple days later. I could probably go back there and have them replace it ( I know the owner ), but it is a 50 mile 1 way drive, so is it worth it to put 100 miles on the car, my time, gas, etc. for this knob.

If it was just a warranty issue, there is a Chrysler dealership 3 miles from my house, that's why I ask.

Honestly, I don't know how anyone could rip off the knob considering what is is used for, so it should be a warranty issue anyway for a defective part.

Anywho.... Mr. Incredible, if you do have an extra, I would be very appreciative!

i know I have the little one's not sure on the big one but i'll check..

can you snap a picture of the slot it goes in, as there was a change somewhere in 2006 and the previous units knobs don't fit the newer model HVAC control.

the controls are plug and play (if you have the old you can put in the new without issue, as that is what I did) but the knobs are not interchangable..

as for being defective?

hard to say. Billet Technology makes covers for these knobs, i would be more inclined to believe the previous owner had the BT knob covers, and yanked them off to sell them prior to turning over the car, and most likely could not get the cover off the knob so he took the whole thing.. JMO, but I suspect that is what may have happened..

 

[TopTrainer]

 

[BobF]

You could get a similar black anodized knob with a white line, like the left one, at Mouser, Digikey or Newark Electronics. It looks like a standard 1/4" shaft. Use the set screw to tighten it to the shaft. If you have a local electronics store like Fry's they may have them too. You could replace both with similar knobs so they match if all else fails. Regards, Bob.

Look at:
KLN1250B1/4 Product Details - Tyco Electronics
for an Alcoswitch that is black anodized aluminum, lined on top and side, 1.250" dia, 1/4" shaft size.

 

[CJ7VFR]

I have to ask this, so sorry if it sounds cruel.

How the hell did you not notice that when you bought the car?

I just can't believe that you did not see this missing when you saw the car
for the first time. Or when you went to pay for the car. Or when you picked
up the car to take home.

That stands out like a sore thumb. And, if was missing when you bought
it, how could a dealer even sell a car with that missing, and not tell you?

If you know the owner of the dealership, that makes this even worse in
my eyes.

They know you, but have tried to rip you off first by selling you a car with
that knob missing, and then they are trying to rip you off again by saying
YOU have to pay for an entire new control unit?

I would stay far, far away from these people.

Just because someone knows you, does not make them nice people.

Are you sure someone in your house did not pull it off by accident, and is
now afraid to say something because they might get in trouble?

Jim

 

[TopTrainer]

I have to ask this, so sorry if it sounds cruel.

How the hell did you not notice that when you bought the car?

I just can't believe that you did not see this missing when you saw the car
for the first time. Or when you went to pay for the car. Or when you picked
up the car to take home.

I can see how you might wonder how I missed that, but the situation was this: I was checking out my client's website on a Sunday evening just to see what they had available ( i'm very impulsive when it comes to cars ). Saw this SRT 8 for a very, very good price and decided I was heading up there first thing Monday morning.

Like I said, it;s a 50 mile drive, left early hoping to get there at 8 am when they opened, it some traffic, then a detour, ended up getting there at 9 am. Now my wife had scheduled professional pictures for the family at 11:00, so I had to get in, trade my car in, sign all the paperwork and get back for the pictures in time.

Because I am very familiar with these cars ( was trading in a '06 300 ), I didn't spend a whole lot of time looking over the car. Hopped in it, took it for a few mile spin, everything looked good/sounded good/drove good. Bam let's get this deal done so I don't get killed by the wife for missing the family pictures :twak:

Regarding the owners of the dealership, they didn't sell me the car, their sales manager did, I doubt he knew the knob was missing. I haven't called them, because I didn't think it was that big of an issue. I assumed I could just walk into a parts department and pay $5-10 and get a new knob.

Since that is not the case, and the entire unit needs to be replaced, that's why I wondered if this fell under warranty.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Regarding the owners of the dealership, they didn't sell me the car, their sales manager did, I doubt he knew the knob was missing.

It doesn't matter if the owner of the place sold you the car, or one of
his employees did. Its the OWNERS responsibilty to see that all the used
cars in his dealership meet certain cryteria before they are put back on the
lot and sold.

Is the dealership where you got the car a 5 Star dealer?

If so, they have to go over each and every used car with a multi point check
list in order for the car to be certified as a 5 Star used car.

This checklist goes over everything on the car that has fluid in it, has an
electric motor to operate it, makes sure every switch, knob, and lever that
does a function actually moves and completes that function.

Along with tire tread depth, and a host of other mechanical and electrical items.

If you bought the car from a 5 Star dealership, get the checklist from them.
They have to give it to you as the new owner of the car, as well as a copy
of any carfax that is available.

If the part that covers the HVAC system is all checked off, then you will
have a very hard time convincing them that the knob was not there when
you picked up the car, as they will say it had to be there in order for them
to check to make sure the heating and ac systems were functioning properly.

If they don't give you the list, then you will at least have a leg to stand on
in order to get them to replace the unit, as you can tell them that it was
supposed to be checked, and it wasn't.

Either way, if this dealership is a 5 Star place, then its one of the worst
around, and again, you should stay away from it, as they can't even follow
a simple checklist in order to see if the car is up to standards.

That would lead me to think about what else they did not check over.
You could be driving a lemon and not even know it.

Jim

 

[CJ7VFR]

I just looked up the cost of a new hvac unit with dual climate controls, and
the cost is $129.60 right from Chrylser.

Thats a nice chunk of change for something that only needs a new 50 cent
knob.

If I was you, and you get nowhere with this crap dealership, I would just go
out and get yourself two black universal knobs that look as close as can be
to the stock ones, and replace both so they match, and be done with it.

You can get univeral 1/4" shaft knobs just about anywhere for about a
buck a piece.

Do as suggested and look in McMaster Carr and places like Digikey for them.

You can probably even get them at Pepboys or places like that.

Jim

 

[CJ7VFR]

Heres a knob from McMaster Carr that is very close to the stock size.

Its aluminum, but you get the picture. There are others out there that
are black.

They even have the smaller ones that match the size of the smaller ones on
your HVAC control unit so you could replace all 4 so that they would
all match each other.

Jim

 

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

I posted a link to a complete HVAC control for $40 on ebay a few posts up^^

it takes under 10 minutes to swap

also TopTrainer, all I have are the small knobs..